Ticking time bomb
by JustMeAndMyKeyboard
Summary: *5x10 spoilers!* Just a little Vauseman extension before everyone that was kidnapped woke up. Rated M purely for language.


_This is just a little extension to 5x10 of OITNB_ _ **so spoilers if you aren't there yet!**_ _Just a little Vauseman before the shit really hit the fan. I've changed it slightly so that Alex and Piper's wrists were tied in front of them with masking tape like everyone else._

Alex felt like the whole world was spinning. Nothing was making sense. She could hear sounds, but it was like everything was too far away to hear properly. She couldn't open her eyes at first. Even when she could, it took a moment for the room to stop spinning. As everything came into focus, Alex saw the littering of bodies that surrounded her in the small, confined room. She felt the scratchy material against her skin. She realised that her wrists were bound together by the same kind of tape that clung to her mouth and bound her legs together. She thought back. What was going on? How had she wound up here? Her heart hammered as she remembered. Red had been right. Piscatella was in the prison. He had found her and Piper in the shower…Piper. Alex groggily sat up, trying to be as quiet as possible whilst making sure she didn't throw up. Whatever the Abominable Snowman had used to knock them out it had been strong. Alex looked around the room. Boo, Nikki, Blanca, then right beside her, Piper. All of them were still knocked out cold. Alex felt her blood boil. Like her, Piper was wrapped in some homemade paper towel dress. He had gone for Piper after he'd drugged her. He'd seem them naked, vulnerable. Had Piper been scared? Or, like Alex, had she been knocked out too quickly to have a chance to get scared? Had he hurt her? Alex's mouth was dry. She didn't know if it was from the drugs or the fear. Both, probably. She didn't know when Piscatella would be back, but she knew it wouldn't be long. She couldn't get any of them out of the room, the door was locked. Of that, Alex was sure. He wasn't stupid, he wouldn't take any risks. But before he came back, Alex had to know that Piper was ok. Carefully, Alex ripped off most of the tape on her mouth so that it was just hanging on at one side. She knew she had to be able to stick it back on. When Piscatella came back, everything had to look exactly as it was. The less they aggravated him, the better. Alex then dragged herself over to Piper's side. Every tiny rustle of her paper towel dress made her tense up more. What if he was close by? What if he knew she was awake? Would he hurt her? Would he hurt Piper to hurt her? It was no secret to any of the guards that they were in a relationship. Alex peered down cautiously at Piper's sleeping face. She was still breathing. That was a start.

"Piper." Alex hissed. "Pipes, wake up." Alex frantically tapped Piper's cheek until she saw her eyes scrunch up. Piper groaned, having a similar reaction to the drugs as Alex. After a few moments, she was able to open her eyes. It took her another minute or so for everything to come into focus enough for her to see Alex's terrified face inches from hers. What was she wearing? Why was there tape dangling from her face? Then Piper began to realise her own clothes felt odd and scratchy. She looked down to see that she too seemed to be wrapped up in paper towels. Only then did Piper begin to remember what had happened. Alex could see her beginning to panic.

"Shh, stay calm!" Alex hissed frantically. "You can't panic, Pipes. You can't scream."

"How are you so calm?" Piper hissed.

"I'm not." Alex answered her. "I'm fucking terrified. Here's what we're gonna do. We need to wake everyone else up. Maybe with all of us, we'll have enough strength to-" Alex stopped talking. Yeah, those were footsteps at the end of the corridor. "I think that's him." Alex whispered. She reached out and put the tape back over Piper's mouth. With just two of them they didn't have a hope over overpowering the gorilla man. Piper shook her head. It hurt Alex how scared she was, and how she couldn't fix it, but the best she could do right now was get Piper through the next few minutes. "It's alright Pipes, I'm still right here." Alex whispered, aware that he was getting closer. "It'll just be a few minutes. Just pretend to be asleep. Then we can talk." Alex promised her. She could see Piper was still terrified. "Please, Pipes. Don't do something stupid. For me. Just lie down and shut your eyes." Alex pleaded with her. Piper's whole brain was shutting down, but Alex's instruction got through to her. Still shaking, she lay back down as quietly as possible and screwed her eyes shut. She made sure her face was away from the door so Piscatella wouldn't notice how forcefully her eyes were closed. She hoped he didn't come and check them all over properly. Piper felt Alex's finger brush against the bottom of her foot. It calmed her just enough to get her through this. It was Alex letting her know she was still there.

Sure enough, a few moments later, the door opened. Piper and Alex both just focused on keeping their breathing as steady and quiet as possible. He couldn't hear their hearts beating, could he? They heard him chuckle quietly.

"Fucking lightweights." He murmured. "Better be awake when mama Red gets here. I need an audience." With that, he closed the door again. Alex and Piper felt so stupid. Red had been right all along. Piper felt Alex's finger brush against her foot again. It was a signal this time. A signal to wait until Alex knew the coast was clear before they moved again.

When there had been silence for several minutes since the footsteps had faded off to the right, Alex tore the tape off again. She scooted over to piper, helping her with hers. The tape around both their wrists was too tight to get off.

"How are we gonna do this if we don't have our fucking hands, Alex?" Piper whispered, beginning to panic again.

"Pipes, you need to calm down." Alex instructed her. "That isn't going to help."

"How can I calm down? A mad man is in prison trying to kill us!"

"Oh so this time you get it." Alex said, she couldn't help but point out the way Piper could empathise now.

"Is now really the time?" Piper hissed. Alex frowned. Maybe it wasn't. Alex bent her elbows and got her arms over Piper's head and around her middle. She kissed the side of Piper's head.

"The point is, it's gonna be ok." Alex promised her. "I'm gonna keep you safe. Always have, always will kid." Alex could feel Piper becoming marginally less tense in her arms. "There." Alex said, knowing Piper could function now. "Now all we've gotta do is…" Slam! The door burst open. Alex's arms tightened on Piper. It's not like they could properly defend themselves anyway. The best she could do was keep Piper out of the way. It was probably safer for them both that way anyway.

"I knew it." Piscatella snarled. "I knew you were both awake. Well, now it's time to go back to sleep. It seems Mama Red hasn't found you yet."

"Get the fuck away from us!" Alex screamed as Piscatella grabbed a fistful of her hair. She refused to give him the satisfaction of hearing her scream.

"Alex, Alex no!" She heard Piper yell, but there was nothing she could do to help her. Piscatella held the cloth over her mouth and nose again, and within seconds, everything was black once more.


End file.
